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An unlucky year ends with 13th place and tears for Owens

Dan Silkstone, Vancouver

IT TOOK the longest time for Jenny Owens to leave the snow after her quarter-final of the women's ski cross yesterday. She had crossed the finish line, that much was clear to all. But was she at the end?

For a year she had told herself - and with good reason - that she was a medal contender at these Olympics. In recent months and again in recent days her body and her fickle sport had conspired jointly against her.

Long after all the other competitors from her race had left, long after the unlucky losers from subsequent heats had scarpered, she stood and waited and watched those who had made it past her. The semi-finals. The final. The winners.

''I wasn't ready to come and face the media yet,'' she said later. ''I didn't want to cry.''

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Of course, she did anyway.

Her first words and first thought were more than 30 minutes in the making but brutally curt. ''Crap, crap year, really,'' she said.

Six months ago she had been a legitimate medal threat here, notching impressive results in her adopted sport and thrilled that ski cross - the frenzied roller derby with planks and poles - would make its Olympic debut in 2010. Then everything went wrong.

She fell and seriously injured her knee last month but put off surgery - again. Intensive treatment and crossed fingers got her to Vancouver in surprisingly good shape. On her first day at training last week she tore the knee again.

The past week she hardly left the athletes village, her life reduced to ice baths and physiotherapy. She has needed a full knee reconstruction for two years but pushed it aside because of her desire for a medal.

''My goal was to come here and podium but this year has just been one disaster after another,'' she said. ''This has been my hardest year ever.''

In the past five months alone she has had two knee operations, a concussion and a never-ending series of flus and colds. ''I think I'm just really exhausted,'' she said. ''I'm worn out and my body is just breaking down.''

She is 31 and facing a long lay-off after surgery. She was clearly shattered yesterday. Would it fire her to keep going or convince her to retire?

''I can't go out like this,''she said. ''I would never feel satisfied.''

In sport, most times, the most engaging athletes are the ones who say what they really think and feel.

When Canada's Ashleigh McIvor held her nerve and avoided all the trouble ski cross can throw up to claim the gold medal, the 26-year-old's response was immediate and simple. ''Wow.''

It was what the whole stadium was feeling. This was a win that played well in the grandstands. A local woman winning unexpected gold after several days when each golden expectation would prove a disappointment.

The host nation had three good medal chances but Frenchwoman Ophelie David was the clear favourite. Unfortunately for her it wasn't a clear sort of day.

All Games there has been no snow at Cypress - suddenly there was too much. In a heavy snowstorm the gold medal favourite and six-time World Cup champion took off on a jump and landed badly, missing the semi-final. Canada had the second, third and fourth best skiers in the world. All of them native British Columbians, raised on these slopes.

McIvor seized the opportunity, pulling ahead in the middle section of the final and sending the crowd into raptures.

She had been partly responsible for this stage even existing, having written an essay arguing for her sport's inclusion in the Games that went to skiing's governing body. Now, at home, she was a champion.

''Skiing in the back country and just racing your friends from the top to the bottom, that's what ski cross is about. And who can represent Canada better than a girl from Whistler?'' she said.

The Australians had done well to get out of their heats but both could not muster the speed needed to break into the top two in their quarter-final. Katya Crema - the younger of the two - finished 15th. ''I'm still happy,'' she said. ''First Olympics, finished top 16, it's amazing.''

Owens felt differently about her 13th place but said she was lucky even to have made the start line.

''I'm skiing better than I can walk, I'm having trouble going up and down stairs. It will just be good to get home and have some time off it.''